Engage

Inquire

Joanna Toto

Photographer

Joanna Toto

Photographer

Portfolios

Biography

With more than 20 years of experience shooting fashion photography for such magazines as Vogue Italia, Surface, W, Elle, Nylon and Lucky, Joanna Toto brings an edgy elegance to everything she does at The Day. Inspired by classic fashion photographers like Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton, Joanna enjoys combining unexpected compositions and the use of negative space with more traditional imagery, making her the ideal choice for couples with a fashion-forward flair.

Joanna’s love affair with photography began at age 11 in Erie, Pennsylvania, when she began looking at editorial shoots in fashion magazines, poring over the clothes, poses, locations and models. It wasn’t long before she was carrying a camera wherever she went, shooting before-and-after beauty photos and creating her own fashion stories with friends. After completing a BA in International Relations and an MA in Communications, Joanna turned her childhood passion into reality as a professional photographer, traveling throughout the world shooting fashion, beauty, culture and weddings—first in Athens, Greece, and then in New York.

A regular backstage at Fashion Week, Joanna is accustomed to the adrenaline and anxiety that often arises before big events. After many years spent directing models, she is an expert at gently guiding the bride and groom on their wedding day with the result that they can relax and enjoy the moment. When she’s not shooting people, Joanna trains her expert eye on four-legged models, including her own dog—a Havanese named Boris Fancypants—with whom she shares her husband, the filmmaker Adrian Toto.

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”

Portfolios

Accolades

Wedding

Claudia & Georg

Joanna was an absolute pleasure to work with, and we are thrilled with our wedding photos! She really captured the joyful spirit of the day and was somehow able to be everywhere without ever seeming invasive. Our proofs captured everything we were hoping for and more, and we couldn't recommend Joanna and the entire Ira Lippke Studios team more highly.

Wedding

Katie & Jack

We were so excited as soon as we knew Joanna would be our photographer and couldn't be happier with all the photos that documented the weekend – our rehearsal dinner and wedding day. When we look through our photos, we are able to relive so many emotions from the day – our first look, ceremony photos and laugh while going through the speeches and everyone dancing. Each photo captured everything so beautifully and are moments frozen in time for us to have forever. We can’t thank Joanna enough for the amazing photos and her wonderful team who were so sweet, fun, and made everyone feel at ease the entire day!

Wedding

Amanda & Ian

Joanna's photos captured the essence of the actual moment. We were able to recall our exact emotions when viewing them. We scheduled an engagement shoot where she was with just the two of us and we could get to know her style of working. She was so relaxing and made us feel so comfortable taking pictures in the middle of Manhattan! It was great to have that time with just her prior to our wedding because we were already acquainted and felt at ease during the big day when everything was moving at lightening speed. We can't rave about Joanna enough! She was professional, calming and most of all talented!